Once Upon a Time

by Michael Beall

Maybe it's because I'm just older (old!?), but I sure do miss the dynamite on the Explode button. Oh, wait here it is now! Really?

While Autodesk keeps putting new stuff in, I just want to make sure you know how to use the old stuff as efficiently as possible before moving on. To that end, I have a rather eclectic collection of customization bits that can be applied to all currently supported versions of AutoCAD. (How was that for being vaguely specific on where this tricks will work!?)

…Tweaking the Double Click Action to launch the earlier Edit Attributes dialog box.
…Putting the dynamite .BMP back on the Explode button.
…Viewing the Properties of the current Workspace.
…Modifying the plot scale list displayed when choosing a plot scale for a viewport.

When it's all said & done, however, it's all about economy of movement, productivity… and going home a wee bit sooner.

Set ATTEDIT as the Double-Click

My customers work with attributed blocks all day long, and the Enhanced Attribute Editor—while providing more options for the editing of the selected block—doesn't allow for the use of the Tab key. Time for a refit of the double-click.

How To Change the Double-Click Edit for Attributes

Open the CUI.

Under Customizations in All Files, scroll to the bottom and expand Partial Customization Files, then expand CUSTOM.

Click here to go to the downloads on my website where, at the bottom of the list of productivity tools on the right, you will see CADTutor Files, under which you will see a couple icons for your enjoyment. Right-click on and save the one you would like, then follow the steps below.

How to Replace an Icon on the Ribbon

Open the CUI.

Under the Command list, navigate to, then click on the Explode command to display the Button Image information.

Note: If you want to preserve the Box-Coming-Apart icon image, click Export, then give it a name and save it.

To import the Original_Explode.BMP file, click Edit to open the Button Editor.

Click Import. If you saved the .BMP to the proper folder (mentioned above), it should be right there for you to select and Open.

Click Save and enter a name for the image. This one will be saved to the official, bet-you-can't-find-it, file containing all the button images. Click Close to close the Button Editor.

Click OK to close and your changes, and check out your new Explode button top!

The Odd Spot

Properties of the Workspace in the CUI

As is the case throughout this endless maze of zeroes and ones, when you're in the CUI and click on the name of a Workspace, the Properties panel provides an editable collection of General and Display components for the selected workspace.

Left Field

Cowbird : Living in the country, we encounter some out-of-the-norm behavior among critters here in Kentucky. Recently, upon further investigation in Wikipedia, we found the specifics of… the cowbird.

"These birds feed on insects, including the large numbers that may be stirred up by cattle. In order for the birds to remain mobile and stay with the herd, they have adapted by laying their eggs in other birds' nests. [OK, that's the part that we thought was a wee bit out of the norm.] The cowbird will watch for when its host lays eggs, and when the nest is left unattended, the female will come in and lay its own eggs. The female cowbird may continue to observe the nest after laying her eggs. If the cowbird egg is removed, the female cowbird may destroy the host's eggs."

Cultural and Reality TV applications abound, but I thought I'd at least pass this along. Totally out of left field.

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Note from Michael: I want to thank all of my customers for continuing to retain my training services (some for over two decades!) and let you know your donations do not go to me personally, but to the ongoing maintenance of the CADTutor ship as a whole and to support the yeoman efforts of my friend and CADTutor captain, David Watson, to whom I am grateful for this monthly opportunity to share a few AutoCAD insights.